Love is Thicker than Water
by TKDP
Summary: When June finds out her sister, Emily, has inherited her mother's organ failure, June and Cora must go to Sanitarium to save Emily's life. Little do they know, the journey will face them with challenges, horrors, romances, and friendships unlike the girls have ever seen. (Repo/Devil's Carnival/The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls crossover in the Repo world.)
1. The Pain too Pure to Hide

**Hey everyone! So, this story sort of came out of nowhere. I've been wanting to do a Devil's Carnival/Repo: The Genetic Opera crossover for a while, but I did not expect for The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls to get into the mix! I guess this is a big rock-opera mashup then. If any of you are familiar with my story 'Broken Crown', this story is similar. It's an AU with characters from different fandoms working together, with many crossover ships. It's also a bit OOC for the characters from The Asylum, seeing as the story takes place in the future instead of the past and their dialect has changed. This story takes place in the Repo universe, but rest assured I'll write a crossover taking place in the carnival at some point. I'm not good at finishing chapter stories, and reviews help encourage me! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

"New lesson, multiplication. What's three times twelve?"

"June, we've already gone over this. Thirty-six."

June sighed as she rubbed her temples with her thumb and forefinger. "Right, right…sorry, I keep forgetting. How about you go watch TV or something, and we can start a new lesson when Cora gets home?"

Emily shrugged and raced over to the old television set, happy to get out of homeschooling. She turned on her favorite movie, an oldie from her mother's childhood, Sucker Punch. June had no idea why a ten-year-old would want to watch a movie from forty-five years ago, but decided not to question it.

"Remember to practice the violin later."

Emily chuckled. "How could I forget?"

June smiled. Emily loved her grandfather's violin more than anything she owned, except maybe her favorite (and only) stuffed animal, Suffer the bear. Originally, June had been averse to giving Emily a beat up, patchy old bear for Christmas, but seeing as it was all June could pay for, she took the risk of buying it. Luckily Emily loved it. Sometimes, June wondered if Emily had faked loving it at first. The poor child knew that in this day and age, 2056, money was hard to come by, and June of all people was lacking in it.

June sighed as she looked at Emily's violin, Emily was such a magnificent player, she deserved a violin that wasn't so weathered and old. However, considering June could barely scrap together enough money to buy groceries on a day-to-day basis, what with her father blowing all their money on street zydrate, her grandfather's violin would have to do.

As June sat in the kitchen of their cozy Victorian house, she reflected once again on just how grateful she was that her mother had paid the entire mortgage on their house before passing. Now, they were living off the money left to June and Emily (the money that their father _hadn't_ stolen), and the little money Cora made singing with her group 'His Ladies of Virtue'. June shuddered, thinking that Cora was probably performing at some bar her father was in attendance to, getting harassed by scalpel-sluts. Cora would never complain, though, knowing June already had too many worries. Cora was more focused and better at homeschooling Emily as well, while June managed their financial situation.

After Cora's parents died from organ failure (the same way June's mom, and half the population, died), Cora moved in with June and Emily to help financially. She ended up having to sell her house and use her inherited money for groceries, although that was already burned through. June's father hardly cared, after all, he was rarely home, often spotted in the sewer making out with some teenage girl hooked on the knife.

As June tried to erase the image of her father and a woman twenty years younger together, Cora burst through the door. After removing her gas mask, she shouted enthusiastically, "I'm home!"

June ran up to hug Cora. "Cora! I'm glad you're back. Can you-"

"Help Emily with her studies? I'm on it," finished Cora. June chuckled. Cora knew her too well. Cora, unlike June, never mixed up the lesson plans. Cora shoved a bag into June's arms. "Here, I bought dinner while I was out."

"Great, I'm starving," murmured June. And it was true. The fridge was practically empty during lunch time, so June had to make Emily a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with possibly-moldy bread, while June ate nothing, claiming that she was 'not hungry', so Emily wouldn't worry.

"Emily, over here," shouted Cora, voice dripping with fake-enthusiasm.

"Aww man," teased Emily, though she clearly wasn't unhappy. She ejected the DVD from the player (yes, they were incredibly old fashioned with a DVD player, since they didn't have money for any modern technology beyond holographic watches) and placed it with her other favorite movies, Rocky Horror, Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Black Swan, etc.

As Cora began Emily's lesson and June unpacked dinner (a particularly scrawny chicken and some frozen vegetables), June though back to junior high, before all the schools were shut down. Before the organ crisis was so bad, people could no longer mingle in crowded places around possibly diseased individuals. Before every child became homeschooled and friendless. A nostalgic smile crossed June's face as she remembered seventh grade, the last year she would attend school. She was removed not just because of the epidemic, but also because her father refused to pay tuition any longer.

School had been…difficult, to say the least. There was no 'recess', which her mother told her was an ancient tradition where children played outside, before the air became toxic. The sky was always dark as it had been for as long as June could remember, so staying awake was a daily challenge. The sun was a fairytale she only knew existed because of her mother's stories. June, unlike all the other children, preferred to wear bright colors as opposed to black and white, and often wore fanciful and vaudevillian clothing as opposed to drab Victorian-dress. Her mother had encouraged her individuality, but after being called 'scalpel-slut' for half of junior high, June stuck to white corsets and wrap skirts, using glitter to express herself. At least it was better than black. She had been so carefree and ambitious and flamboyant back then. Nowadays, June had to sew her own clothing, not having enough money to even buy cheap thrift-store clothes.

June was snapped out of her thoughts by Emily complaining. "Why can't we move on to English? Math is boring, and I want to finish Jane Eyre!"

Cora sighed. "Emily, you already speak better English than both me and your sister, and you're ten years younger than us. Math is more important right now."

June sighed. She knew the truth: Emily had already blazed through Hamlet, Lolita, The Lady of Shalott, Aesop's fables, To the Lighthouse, A Room of One's Own, Wildthorn, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Girl Interrupted, House of Furies, Ten Days in a Madhouse, and some book about the resurgence of the bubonic plague in Victorian England. There was quite literally no other book in their house beside Jane Eyre. The library was too far for June to make the journey and the walk would be too dangerous, what with the poison air and raving ladies of the night. Not to mention, June didn't have the money to buy books, let alone have them shipped to her house. The only time the journey would be worth the risk was to buy a book as a Christmas present, which was sadly the only time Emily got new things.

Luckily, Cora's reasoning was enough for Emily, and she didn't question her as Cora continues the lesson.

Half-way through, however, Emily started to cough. June hoped the coughing would end quickly, but the coughing only got juicier and louder as it carried on. Cora quickly ran to get Emily a cup of water, while June hurried to Emily's side to rub Emily's back. "Are you feeling any better, Em?" asked June, softly.

Emily couldn't speak, and continued to cough. After about five minutes, Emily choked out. "I'm fine. Just a bad cold."

June frowned sympathetically. Emily tried not to show the pain on her face for fear of worrying June, but June knew better. These coughing spells used to be rare, but they were becoming more frequent as of late. One thing was for sure: This was no little cold.

June didn't know what to do. The nearest doctor lived ten miles away, and although June would gladly make the journey for Emily's sake, June was pretty sure the doctor couldn't write. Crucifixus was a poor area after all, and the people were desperate enough to accept a man who could read with herbs and a lab coat as the 'town doctor', without any regard for medical training or even a college degree.

June pressed a kiss to Emily's forehead, as Emily took a swig of water. "Is your throat still dry?" asked June.

"No, I feel better now," said Emily, her voice still a bit rough.

"Okay," June sighed in relief.

"How about we start up a movie?" Cora suggested. "Skip the lesson plan for today."

Emily looked thrilled by Cora's suggestion, and June couldn't deny that smile. "Can we watch 'If I Stay'?" Emily loved movies featuring string instrument players.

June wasn't too fond of the idea of her younger sister watching the sexual and depressing scenes, but if it took Emily's mind off her growing sickness, who was she to say no? "Sure sis, whatever you want."

Ten minutes later, June, Cora, and Emily were snuggled on the couch in front of the television, eating some slightly-stale popcorn Cora had found in the pantry. A blissful smile crossed June's face: These moments, the moments when they could just relax as a family, were the only moments June didn't stress about being broke and unemployed and uninsured.

When the movie finished, the girls prepared for dinner, and June already knew their father wouldn't be coming home that night. June set the table and lit some almost-melted candles in the dining room with all its gothic splendor while Cora and Emily washed their hands. Just the thought made June worry about how she'd pay for plumbing and electricity in the coming months – if June didn't have a TV to distract Emily from their financial crisis, what would June do? How would she wash the dishes, when god knows she couldn't pay for a constant stream of disposable silverware? Maybe she'd have to sell their holographic watches…but she wouldn't feel safe, unable to contact Cora.

When they started eating, Emily praised June's cooking and Cora's good judgement in picking a chicken, but June knew the sweet girl was lying. June herself could barely choke down the meal: the chicken seemed to be all fat and bone with burnt skin and tough meat, while the frozen vegetables tasted like insulation.

Once the meal was finished, Cora offered to do the dishes while June helped Emily prepare for sleep. Emily knew she was probably old enough to get ready on her own, but she enjoyed the moments alone with her sister when there weren't lessons to learn or clothes to fix or various other things to do.

Emily threw on a white nightdress with a little red heart patch over where her actual heart was, with a pattern of holes along the hem. The nightdress came down to her waist on her left side, but draped over her leg on her right side.

June sat on Emily's bed, smiling wistfully but lost in thought. Emily must've noticed this, because not long after she'd finished changing, Emily came to sit beside June. "June, are you okay?"

June blinked in surprise, snapping out of her reverie. "Yes…I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine too, you've just…seemed kind of worried today," Emily said, softly.

June sighed. "Don't worry about me, Cora will help me figure out a few things."

Emily nodded silently and climbed into her bed, which was covered with a plastic tarp to prevent toxic air from seeping in while she slept. June and Cora had one over their bed, too. June smiled, and lifted up the plastic tarp to plant a kiss on Emily's forehead. "I love you, Emily. You're the best sister in the world." And it was true. Emily rarely complained, and, if June was honest with herself, the need to care for Emily was probably the only reason she hadn't gone mad and ran off into the night already, like the majority of her peers.

Emily smiled, and pulled Suffer the bear closer to herself. "Love you too, June."

With that, Emily closed her eyes and June stood up to leave. As June flicked the light switch, flooding the room with darkness, June took one last look at Emily, knowing she would do anything for the young girl behind the tarp.

"June, ready for bed?" called Cora, softly. June whirled around to find Cora climbing the stairs, and slowly closed Emily's door.

"Yeah, I'm ready," June murmured.

"What's wrong?" asked Cora.

June sighed. "I'll tell you when Emily's out of ear shot."

After putting on their own nightgowns; long, white, and silky as opposed to Emily's shorter cotton nightdress; Cora turned on the ancient radio in their room. Some Mozart concertinos began to play, and June was brought back to the days when Emily would play the violin with her friend Sachiko, before Sachiko died from the epidemic. Cora and June sat beside each other on their bed, avoiding the bucket meant to catch leaks in the roof.

"I'm worried, Cora," whispered June. "I wish we could learn how plumbing works, or how electric circuits function, or how to fix a leaky roof, but let's be honest: The resourced just aren't available to us. The library is miles away, and there's no way we could afford some fancy lesson. Beside the middle-grade textbooks Emily has, we're basically cut off from the world's knowledge."

"You can look up information on the holographic watches," suggested Cora.

June shook her head. "I already tried. Sanitarium's leaders control what information gets to the outer regions, and it would seem Crucifixus is on the scarce side of knowledge. Besides, even if I could fix the plumbing or electricity or roof, I don't have the materials to work with. No hammer, no nails, and the only wood we have is for the fireplace, and even that's diminishing. Do we even have an axe in this house?"

Cora sighed. "Not that I know of."

"Exactly," sighed June. "Living off my mother's will money has worked for now, but for how much longer? We only have a few hundred dollars left, and the banks around us have all shut down."

"Damn economic crisis…" murmured Cora. "What if I try to get a job as a waitress in the clubs I perform at?"

"You know it's not safe to have prolonged exposure to the air, even with a gas mask. You'd go as crazy as the scalpel-sluts."

"Hmm…" Cora pondered their options. "What if we sell furniture?"

"Who would buy from us?" cried June. "All the furniture is weathered and moth-eaten and probably forty years old. Besides, most of the people are homeless and crazy. What would they need furniture for?" June shuddered. Homeless. That was a fate worse than death in Crucifixus. Those with weaker lungs could die from the poison air, and for those that didn't die, they'd usually become so crazy and desperate that they'd either resort to eating freshly buried bodies or become hooked on street zydrate. The only safe place would be the sewer where the poison air didn't seem to reach, but even then there would be foul water and rats crawling everywhere. No, June could _not_ allow her family to end up on the streets, but if they ran out of basic human resources, or they couldn't afford insulation that was resistant to toxic air and the house became uninhabitable…then what?

As if Cora read her mind, she responded. "June, we're not going to become homeless. Your mother already paid mortgage, remember?"

"Cora, we already have a leak in the roof," said June. "If we get more holes, the toxic air might seep into the house, and then we'd be forced to evacuate. Not to mention, if we run out of money for food, we'll have to join the scavengers on the street or move and find cheaper-"

Before June could continue to spiral into a panic, Cora grabbed her hand. "June," she strongly said. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. We'll figure this out, like we always do. Just get some rest and we can talk about this in the morning, when you're feeling less stressed."

June sighed. Sleeping wouldn't quell her nerves: she never told Cora, but she often had nightmares about their future. "Sleeping doesn't magically make our problems go away."

Cora pulled June into a tight hug. "We'll figure something out. If worst comes to worst, I'll become a waitress and we'll find a job for you. Emily's almost old enough to be home alone, and it's not like anyone's going to care if she's alone. Heck, there's twelve year olds getting plastic surgery all throughout Crucifixus. Have you seen the news lately? Girls as young as eleven have been prostituting. The cops have bigger issues than one girl home alone. We'll also find a way to sell the furniture. We make our own clothes, right? We can make some neat stuff and fix up whatever is worn out and host a garage sale."

June gave a tiny smile. "Thanks Cora, you always know what to do. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Cora blushed. "Oh, you'd survive. You're smarter than you think."

June chuckled. "Well, I don't know about that…"

"Let's get some shut-eye," Cora murmured with a yawn, as she turned off the antique lamp beside their shared bed. Cora wrapped her arms around June as they fell asleep, and for once, June didn't dream of the disastrous future that may lay in store for them.

In the morning, June woke with a yawn and a stretch. She looked around, but Cora wasn't beside her. A sizzling sound and the smell of eggs wafting through the thin floorboards confirmed that Cora was making breakfast. June smiled, and rose to change out of her nightdress.

After throwing on a cream-colored blouse with a cute lacy collar and a long, sparkly, layered white skirt, June tied a lace choker around her neck and stepped into some dainty white slippers.

June exited her room and decided to wake up Emily, after checking her holographic watch and seeing that it was nine o' clock. Cora let her sleep in, bless her soul.

June knocked on Emily's door, whispering. "Emily? Emily, are you awake?"

No response. June sighed and slowly opened the door. Emily laid asleep, still in bed. June sat down on the bed beside Emily and lightly shook her shoulder. "Emily? Wake up, sleepy girl. Time to start the day." To June's surprise, Emily still slept on. June shouted a little louder, shaking Emily a little harder. "Emily?! _Emily!_ "

"What's going on?" screamed Cora, from downstairs.

June took a few panicked breaths before screaming. "Emily won't wake up!"

 **Oh no! What do you guys think is wrong with Emily? Leave your thoughts in the reviews, along with any suggestion for the story. I already have an idea of how things will go, but I can still change things. Anyway, I bet some of you are wondering why Emily is a child, right? Well, I de-aged all the Asylum characters, because it felt right. I don't want a bunch of teenagers running around doing stuff, it's nice to have a mix of ages. Plus, being younger will be very important in future chapters…By the way, I am aware that Emilie Autumn has said some negative stuff about Sucker Punch, but the movie is so like the Asylum I just had to make it Emily's favorite movie. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed! I'm hoping to post chapter 2 soon, but I'm going to a wedding so some chapters may be delayed. Bye for now!**


	2. What Beautiful Things I'll Wear

**I'm so happy to be writing chapter 2! I seriously am loving how this story is going, I have so many ideas! By the way, if you know what song chapter 1 is named after, put it in your review and I'll give you an air hug from wherever I am! Now, we find out what happens to Emily, but first! Reviewers, thank you so much! I have other Devil's Carnival stories too, but I appreciate you all reviewing this one because chapter stories are the hardest to finish! Now, I will respond to your reviews:**

 **InfectedByYourGenetics: Wow! I'm glad you like the story so much, I will try to make sure it stays good for you, love! Thanks for the review!**

 **Jenny: Thank you! I work very hard to make sure the characters, setting, and details are all in order in chapter 1, so readers know what's going on. The Repo world is kind of crazy, so I recommend looking up 'Repo: The Genetic Opera' on Wikipedia and reading the plot listed. It'll help you get the gist of what's happening. I'll try to include more details about how Cora and June met in this chapter! Thanks for the review!**

 **Inmate W18H: I'm so glad you enjoyed, dear! Well, wait no longer, because the chapter is here! And you should totally check out Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival, it is SO good! I don't think posting to the SSS every time I update follows the rules, but I can message you when I update the story.**

 **Darkraven10: Thanks so much!**

 **Okay, now that I've responded, I won't take up any more time. I know you all want to read the chapter anyway, so here it is! Enjoy!**

June felt like her heart would stop beating when she pressed her fingers to Emily's arm and was met with a weak pulse. She placed her head to Emily's chest to listen for a heartbeat, but was met with a faint one.

"Cora! _Cora!_ " shrieked June.

Not ten seconds later, Cora had flown to the top of the stairs and rushed to June's side. "June, what's wrong?" Cora kept her voice quiet, trying to calm June, but June could hear Cora's voice shaking.

"Emily…she won't wake up. I think something's wrong with her…internally." June felt like the world was tilting sideways, the room spinning like a top. Cora grabbed June's shoulders, turning June to look at her. Cora locked eyes with June, grounding her, guiding June to follow her breaths. June tried to calm her breathing, but it was so hard, sitting beside her sister who looked a breath's width from death.

"If something is wrong internally…" Cora said, slowly and steadily. "Call the Geneco building. Any price we'll have to pay is worth it to save Emily's life. I'm sure a receptionist can put a doctor or Gentern on the line to help. They'll know what to do, June…it will all be okay."

June had no idea how Cora could be so calm, especially when Cora had lost her own parents to Crucifixus's many diseases. Still, her soft-spoken logic was enough to pull June back into reality, and June nodded, rising to find a private room to make the call. It didn't really matter where, though, the walls were so thin she could be heard anywhere.

As June whipped out her holographic watch and looked up the number to connect to Geneco's receptionist, June mentally cursed herself for breaking down when Emily was in need. _Some caretaker I am…I need Cora to take care of the both of us!_ After dialing the number into the holographic watch's key pad (her older, cheaper model wasn't voice-activated), June waited impatiently for someone to pick up.

"Hello-o," sang a voice on the other line, sounding bored out of her mind and two seconds away from hanging up.

"Hello, my name is June Valentine," June said, quickly, before the receptionist could hang up. "Who might I be speaking to?"

"Huh, Valentine," murmured the woman, seemingly ignoring June's question. "Bet you get lots of chocolates and flowers, huh?"

"Excuse me?" asked June.

"Eh, whatever. My name's Amber. Amber Sweet."

"Amber… _Sweet_?!" June was in shock for a minute. Was she seriously talking to Rotti Largo's _daughter_?! The legendary pop star, Amber Sweet? No, this couldn't be possible…but why would a receptionist joke? "And you're Mr. Largo's receptionist?"

"Yup," she muttered, popping the 'p' like she was chewing bubble gum. "I mean, I guess. The phone rang and I picked up. So, you going to get to the point or what?"

"What?" asked June.

"Why'd you call, sister?" asked Amber, lazily. "Or do you need a minute to revel in the fact that you're talking to me?"

June's lip curled in disgust. Somehow, Amber had at once read her mind _and_ proved herself to be the conceited brat the tabloids portrayed her as. Still, June's voice shook as she continued. "N-no ma'am. Actually, it's urgent. You see-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Amber interrupted, ignoring the urgency. "No need to call me 'ma'am'. Makes me feel old. I may be twenty-eight, but the knife keeps me looking young."

June rolled her eyes, suddenly wishing she was speaking to a trained professional and not a ten-years-past-her-prime valley-girl/diva. "Uh, whatever. Listen-"

"Don't tell me to 'listen'! Rude…"

"Would you _shut up_?!" June was completely fed up with Amber's nonsense. "Or else I'll file a formal complaint."

"Ack! Don't complain to my dad, he'll cut off my bank account!" cried Amber.

"Then be quiet for a minute," snapped June. "My sister is unconscious. She hasn't been responding to me, her heartbeat and pulse are slow. She needs help. She's had a cough for days, but I never thought it would get this bad."

Amber chuckled. "Tough luck, sister. A cough in these parts can mean the end."

June was in shock by this woman who clearly had no sense of sympathy or remorse. "I don't care!" snarled June. "For my sister, I'd do anything."

Now Amber seemed to be paying attention. "Did you say 'anything'?"

June paused, unsure of what 'anything' meant to this conceited primadonna. Still, she continued slowly. "Yes…anything."

"Give me a second to call my dad."

As Amber put June on hold, June rubbed her temples, covering her eyes with her hand. Why the heck was Amber acting as a receptionist when clearly she had no understanding of the job, and her father called all the shots? Still, June was desperate enough to take what she could get.

While June was waiting for Amber to get back on the line (if she ever would), June heard Cora call from down the hall. "Emily's fingers and toes look kind of swollen! What do you think that could mean?"

"How am I supposed to know?" snapped June. June immediately felt bad – she may have been frustrated with Amber, but that was no reason to take her anger out on Cora. "Sorry Cora, I'm just kind of stressed out."

"Did you get any help yet?"

"I actually think the receptionist has worsened my _own_ health, to be honest. I'm gonna need an Advil when this is done."

Finally, Amber returned to June. "You're one lucky girl!"

 _I can't imagine how._ "Why?" June sighed.

"My father, _the_ Rotti Largo, wants to personally call you. I'm going to transfer you to him, okay?" asked Amber.

 _Finally!_ "Okay, yes…thanks Amber!" June danced from foot-to-foot with nervous energy. She was about to talk to the most powerful man in Sanitarium, and maybe even the whole world.

"Hello, my dear?" crooned a new voice, smooth, with an Italian accent laced through the words.

"M-Mr. Largo?" stuttered June.

"Please, you can call me 'Rotti'."

"Oh…yes…Rotti," June hesitated, nervously. "My sister is unconscious. She-"

"Amber already told me everything," said Rotti.

 _Wow, Amber actually did something right, for once._ "Okay, great," said June.

"May I ask, what are her symptoms?"

"Um, fatigue, coughing, shortness of breath, weak pulse and heartbeat…" murmured June, trying to think of every strange behavior she had noticed in Emily within the last week. "Swelling, as of this morning."

"Ah, yes," said Rotti, in a voice that suggested he knew of not just what was going on, but of so much more. "Not uncommon symptoms of heart failure."

June slapped a hand over her mouth in shock, feeling like the world was tipping once again. Heart failure. _Heart failure._ Not just some kidney that could be removed and forgotten about. _Emily's heart._ June gasped for breath. "Did you say…h-heart failure?" June asked, not because she hadn't heard him, but because she couldn't believe it.

"I'm afraid so, my dear. But not to worry, Geneco can supply a new heart…if you can pay the price."

"I-I'm poor…" whispered June, trying not to sob. "Broke, even. But I'd do anything for Emily. Anything."

"Now that's what I like to hear," said Rotti. "Say…could you use the holographic watch to show me your face?"

June was confused by the odd request, but obliged. She changed the setting of the watch so that instead of acting as a phone, an arrangement more like Facetime was made. Facetime, June's mother had once said, was the ancient equivalent of the holographic watch.

And so it was that June was met, face to face, with Sanitarium's most powerful man. June was surprised to see that Amber was standing beside Rotti, along with another strange man. "My…" murmured Rotti. "Did you receive any surgery to look like that?"

"What?" asked June. "No, I could never afford plastic surgery." _Unlike your daughter, there._

Rotti was speechless for a moment as he took in June's face in utter disbelief. Her skin was pearl white, as well as her hair, which was perfectly curled so that her face was delicately framed and that her long locks cascaded down her back. Her eyes were a clear emerald green, her lips rouged and her eyes theatrically darkened. Not a single mark marred her fair face. "And you're not…Albino?"

June blushed, adding a dainty pink to her flawless cheeks. "No, I've always just been very pale." June was reminded of being teased for her oddly colored skin in junior high, but Cora had always been there to shoo the bullies away.

Amber instantly felt jealous. Many women all throughout Sanitarium strived for a perfect, pale complexion, sometimes even painting their veins blue to make them stand out, and here was June, no surgery at all, pulling off the look perfectly!

"Well…this changes some things," said Rotti, after catching his breath. "We'll work out a payment method later. Bring your sister and anyone you live with to Sanitarium. Your sister should wake up soon, from my own experience. I'll give her a heart, and then we can discuss this further."

June could've wept from joy. "That's wonderful! Wait…I don't have money for train tickets or a hotel room."

"How many people are you bringing?"

"Just my sister and my roommate."

"Perfect!" announced Rotti. "No worries, my dear. "I'll pay for the tickets and hotel room. The train-station workers will be alerted that you are my guests."

For a moment, June was disturbed that Rotti's reach was so wide that he even has connections in unrelated businesses, but June shook off the unease. After all, this meeting was going better than she ever could have imagined. "That's perfect!"

"My thoughts exactly," said Rotti, with a chuckle. "Now, arrive at the train-station at four o' clock pm with everything you think you'll need. I'll make sure a personal attendant is waiting."

"Th-thank you so much Rotti," cried June, her emotions getting the better of her as stray tears ran down her face.

"No thanks necessary, my dear. See you soon." And with that, Rotti ended the call.

At once, Cora ran to June, but stopped in her tracks. "June, why are you crying? Are you okay?!"

June sobbed, but a smile stretched across her face. "She's going to be okay, Cora…she's going to be okay…" June threw herself into Cora's arms, hugging her best friend tightly. "Pack your things, we're going to Sanitarium."

"Really?" asked Cora. "That's great news! But I was coming to get you because…Emily woke up."

"What?" asked June, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "I need to see her!"

June dashed down the hall to Emily's room, stopping at the door. There, she saw Emily sitting up in bed, propped up on pillows, taking a drink of water. When Emily saw June, Emily called out to her. "June!"

"Emily!" cried June, running to the bed and pulling her sister into her arms. Hugging her tightly, June whispered into her bright red hair. "I'm so glad you're alright…"

"We're going to Sanitarium?" Emily asked excitedly, without missing a beat. Clearly, she was much more excited by the news than afraid of her current health condition.

June chuckled. "Yes, we are. So we better pack our bags, the train comes in six hours!"

Meanwhile, Amber ranted to Rotti. "I'm still prettier, right Dad? Right?"

"Hush, Amber," snapped Rotti. "I'm thinking…"

"About what?" asked Amber, clearly ignoring his previous statement.

Rotti groaned, and ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. "She would do anything for her sister…I see it in her eyes. Imagine that: Grateful, beautiful…with a touching backstory to match. Geneco saving her cute little sister by replacing her tender heart…oh, it's so mushy it even makes my old heart melt."

"What are you talking about, Dad?"

Rotti sighed. "Mag is ending her contract, and you know what that means?"

Amber let out a bark of excited laughter. "The old hag is getting the knife! When the Repo man strikes!" This statement was followed by a bout of laughter so wicked it was enough to make the Wicked Witch of the West quake in her boots.

"Exactly, and someone will need to fill her place as Geneco's spokeswoman."

"So…?" asked Amber. Rotti groaned: His children could be so dull sometimes…well, all the time.

"So," snapped Rotti. "I'm saying that June would make the perfect spokeswoman."

"Oh…" said Amber, then in a more insulted voice. "Oh! No way! She isn't nearly pretty-"

"Shut up!" snapped Rotti. "She has much more appeal than you, and you know it!"

Amber felt tears well up in her eyes, but forced them away. She should've been used to her father's abuse by now. "Fine. As long as I can do the singing around here."

Rotti grinned wickedly. "Well, we don't know if she can sing yet, but of course. Anything for you, daughter…"

For the next few hours, Cora, June, and Emily packed their suitcases. June helped Emily pack her things, fearing what would happen if she took her eyes off her for even a second.

For Emily, June packed three pairs of different-colored striped stockings, various gothic clothes (Emily was much more attuned to the ways the residence of Crucifixus dressed), some hair ornaments, makeup, bathroom supplies, and Emily's best dress. After all, this was Sanitarium, the height of glamor. The dress was black and knee-length, with a white collar. June also packed three nightgowns, wanting to encourage Emily to rest after falling unconscious.

"Wait! We can't leave my rats behind!" cried Emily, running to get her rat cage. Normally, June would be against bringing rats on a train, but knowing her father wouldn't feed them, June figured she had no choice. "Get ready, Sir Edward and Basil, we're going to Sanitarium!"

June smiled. She thought it was cute how Emily talked to the rats, although it was sometimes strange when she held coherent conversations with them.

June began to search Emily's room for some activities to do on the train, but since most of their money had gone towards food in the past, very few random fun things were around. June found some blank sheets of paper, but only a red crayon to draw with. Still, Emily just shrugged. "Only red is fine, it's my favorite color."

If Emily was sad that she didn't have a full set of crayons like normal kids, she didn't let it show. June felt blessed for her kindness, and put the crayon and paper in a carry-on bag, beside Suffer the bear and a blanket.

June continued to search, eventually finding a deck of cards from when their mom was alive, a pen, some dusty marbles, and a handful of dominoes. Even though most of the things would have no use on the train, June put them in her bag anyway. After all, the hotel room would probably get boring.

"Bring this too!" said Emily, placing her copy of 'Jane Eyre' in the bag.

June smiled. "Of course, sis."

"June, could you get in here?" called Cora, from their shared room.

"Coming!" shouted June. June then turned back to Emily and said. "Pack up whatever else you think you'll need. I'll be back in a moment."

June walked down the hall to her room, and asked Cora. "What's going on?"

"Um, you packed all black and white clothes for us," said Cora, with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah," said June. "Isn't that how normal people dress?"

Cora chuckled a little more. "June, this is Sanitarium, not Crucifixus! The people there dress a lot more colorful!"

"Really?" asked June. "So does that mean…"

"Better hope you haven't grown much since junior high," teased Cora.

In moments, June had flown to her closet and tore through the bland outfits to find her colorful ones. When June saw the multicolored tulle, the colorful corsets, and the shimmering boots from her youth, she smiled brightly.

For herself, June picked out one of her favorite outfits. It consisted of a beige corset with a cross-stitch in the front, with magenta tulle on the shoulders, and a magenta wrap-around tutu. June also grabbed a pair of red tights, a magenta tulle hairpiece, and black mary-janes.

"Here, you should wear this," said June, pushing an outfit into Cora's arms. This particular outfit consisted of a dark blue corset with a purple floral pattern down the shoulder and across the chest, and a green bustle skirt. She also gave her a diamond-studded hairclip, some dark blue tights, and matching black mary-janes. The outfit was a little less flashy, for Cora's sake. _Funny, we could never afford this stuff now_ , June thought, sadly.

Cora stared at the outfit in shock, before turning back to June with mouth agape. "No…I couldn't!"

"Cora, you'll look beautiful," said June. "Trust me."

Cora blushed and sighed. "Fine, but I better not become the laughing stock of Sanitarium."

"Hey Emily, come in here!" June shouted down the hall. Within moments, June heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall, and Emily was soon beside her.

"What, sis?"

"You know how I dressed… _differently_ in junior high?" asked June.

Emily chuckled. "Yes, I remember. You got teased a lot, right?"

June rolled her eyes. "Well, yes. But apparently that's how people dress in Sanitarium, so pick something from my closet."

June was touched to see that Emily looked so excited to wear something her older sister had once worn, and Emily eventually chose a sparkly white corset with a heart on the chest piece and a ruffled hem, a white tutu with a pattern of gears along the hem, a white top hat, and a pair of sparkly white flats and tights.

June smiled. "You're going to look beautiful in that."

Emily blushed. "Thanks, June."

After June packed a couple more colorful outfits, Cora said. "Well, let's go." Cora grabbed her bag and ushered Emily and June to do the same. "The train's on its way!"

Although the train station wasn't too far away, getting there was tricky. Cora didn't want to be too out in the open for everyone to see, but June was wary of heading into empty alleys. They ended up taking one of the longest paths, a path that wound through one of Crucifixus' many graveyards. It was strange, Crucifixus seemed to be one large veritable graveyard upon further inspection. After all, almost every house had a mausoleum attached that opened onto a graveyard. It still amazed June how half the population (from what June could tell, the dignified half of the population) just died over the course of seemingly one year.

Every bird crowing, every snap of a twig, caused June and Cora to jump. June was glad that Emily hadn't seemed to catch on to what the danger was, but then again, Emily had always been a very brave girl.

Suddenly, a loud female voice screeched through the graveyard, and Cora shrieked. Luckily, this was just one of the regular Geneco nightly announcements through one of the loudspeakers positioned across the graveyard, and not some excited scalpel-slut. _Enjoy Geneco's day and nighttime formula on zydrate. Buying zydrate from an unlicensed source is illegal._

"Mother of god," cursed June, clutching her ears. The loudspeaker lady wasn't just ridiculously loud, she also had an annoying, high-pitched, nasally voice.

"How much further is the train station?" Emily shouted over the announcement.

"Just over the hill," responded Cora, shooting death glares at the loudspeaker.

When June, Cora, and Emily reached the train station, June let out a breath of relief. Not that a train station was the safest place around, but still, they were lucky. _No harassment from scalpel sluts, no catcalls from zydrate junkies, no creepy undertakers, no grave-robbers, no suspicious Genterns…_ Yes indeed, they had been very lucky…

"Come on, June!" called Cora, snapping June out of her reverie. "The sign says the train will be arriving in two minutes! We need to get to the platform!"

Cora gripped June's hand and pulled her to the platform, and June was relieved to see that Cora was also holding Emily's hand. Right on time, the train pulled into the station and passengers began to exit.

Before they could board, however, a man approached them. June froze at first, but was relieved to find that his eyes were clear, his breath didn't smell like alcohol, his fingernails were clean, and no cigarette smoke could be smelled around his body.

"Hello," said the man, all smiles. "My name is Vincent. Mr. Largo informed my superiors that three women were in need of a personal attendant. Are you three June, Cora, and Emily?"

"Whoa!" gasped Emily, as though a personal attendant was the equivalent to a talking dog.

June smiled. "Yes, that's us."

"May I take your bags?"

"No, that's fine, we can-" Cora began to say, but June interrupted.

"Sure, thanks!"

Cora playfully rolled her eyes at June, but June only shrugged. That bags were heavy, and if she could dump the load on someone else without looking like a jerk, she was taking that option!

Vincent took their bags, and the expression on his face suggested that he would have anyway, even if June had rejected the offer. "Follow me, ladies."

To their surprise, Vincent didn't lead them to the cheapest seats at the back of the train. Instead, he directed them to the suites at the front. Cora was stunned. Whenever she took a bus to a gig she was performing at, she always took the cheapest seat in the back, and had to constantly be on guard for crazy, homeless, or drunk people.

"Why are you taking us to-" Cora started to say.

"Compliments of Mr. Largo," interrupted Vincent.

Once June, Cora, and Emily had boarded the train, they were all shocked by the splendor of the train's interior. Few places in Crucifixus had any semblance of beauty, but the train was truly spectacular. The walls were red, and the window panes and seats were gold. The seat cushions were green and velvet, and not too far was a bar serving fancy-looking drinks. The train was sectioned into cubicles in a way, with two gold benches facing each other and a mahogany table between them, with a baggage hold above. The aisle that ran down the center of the train was carpeted with a fancy Persian rug.

June chuckled when she saw that Cora's mouth had dropped open in shock, and promptly pushed Cora's mouth closed.

"This is _amazing_ ," whispered Emily, mindful of the other people on the train. Although, she looked like she wanted to jump up and down in excitement. June certainly felt the same way.

"Follow me, ladies," said Vincent, leading them to an unoccupied cubicle. June and Cora sat down on one bench while Emily sat in the one facing them. June placed her carry-on bag on the table between them, while Vincent loaded their bags into the baggage hold above.

"When will we arrive in Sanitarium?" Emily asked Vincent, when he finished loading the bags.

"In six hours," said Vincent.

"Six hours?" asked June. "But Sanitarium isn't too far from here!"

"Yes, but there's some places we tend to…avoid. We need to take a longer route around them." Vincent grinned awkwardly, before hurrying away.

June stared after him, perplexed. Were there worse areas than Crucifixus? June really didn't know. It was hard to get information about the neighboring areas, seeing as how Rotti controlled the media. However, June's unease didn't last long, because one look into Emily's sparkling eyes made her smile.

"Wow, June, how'd you pull this off?" asked Emily, gesturing at the train.

"It was all Rotti," said June. "I didn't expect him to pull out all the stops, though."

"Wait…" Cora said, slowly. "You're on a first-name basis with the head of Geneco?"

"Rotti insisted," June defended.

Cora rolled her eyes. "I wasn't accusing you of anything…it just doesn't seem very classy."

"Well, what would we know about class?" teased June, playing with Cora's hair.

Cora chuckled, she hadn't seen June act so carefree since grade school.

Vincent returned, interrupting the conversation. The interruption was welcome, though, once they saw what he was carrying. A box containing various soft drinks, snack, and candies was in his arms. "Mr. Largo insisted," Vincent announced, before Cora could ask. "All expenses paid."

"We couldn't possibly-" Cora started to say, before June cut her off.

"Three cups of tea, please," said June.

"And plenty of chocolates," added Emily.

Vincent smiled at the two who were now beaming like little girls, while Cora only rolled her eyes with a tiny smirk, and walked away.

Once Vincent was out of ear shot, Cora said. "I swear, you two are incorrigible!"

"Well, whatever you do, don't swear here," June taunted.

"Besides, I haven't had chocolate in a _long_ time," added Emily.

It was true, ever since June and Cora started rationing their money, they only got to have sweet things on birthdays and (occasionally) Christmas.

Cora sighed. "Fine, I guess you're off the hook."

Vincent returned not long after with the chocolates and tea, and all three girls were shocked to see that the chocolate wasn't just some chocolate bar, but finely crafted truffles. Vincent left the goodies with the girls and left, while all three continued to stare in astonishment.

"Why in the world is Rotti paying for all this?!" Cora asked, when she'd finally managed to find her words.

"How am I supposed to know?" asked June. "I think it's best not to complain."

The next few hours were spent by busying themselves, waiting for the train to reach Sanitarium station. They played cards until Emily got bored and started reading Jane Eyre, while Cora took a blank piece of paper and the pen and began to write out quite the loaded thank you note to Rotti. Between the three of them, they'd managed to blast through quite the load of junk food, and now June was content to just look out the window, trying to ignore the subsequent stomach-ache.

One strange thing she noticed was, although the window shades were usually open, sometimes they'd automatically close while passing through certain areas, and would reopen when they'd left the area behind. Although June had tried to get the shades open, she hadn't yet managed to, and thus ended up staring at attractive curtains for ten minutes at a time.

"Done," murmured Cora, snapping June out of her thoughts. In front of Cora was a five-page thank you note to Rotti in perfect cursive.

"You're a little dork, you know that?" teased June, playfully ruffling Cora's hair.

"Yeah, I know," Cora teased back, leaning her head on June's shoulder.

June smiled, and looked over to see if Emily would laugh at their pathetic attempts at jokes. However, what she saw instead was Emily with her elbow on the table, leaning on her fist, trying not to fall asleep. It was pretty late at night, and it had been an eventful day, so June wasn't too surprised by this.

June smiled and stood to pull a blanket from her carry-on, which she promptly wrapped around her sister. "Try to get some rest. We'll wake you up when it's time to exit the train."

Emily smiled gratefully at June, while June put away all the things Emily had taken from the carry-on. Then, June returned to her seat and leaned her head on Cora's shoulder, while Cora rubbed her back. "Well, soon enough we'll be at Sanitarium," June mumbled. Her statement was followed up with a yawn.

Cora chuckled. "You look more tired than Emily." Cora pulled another blanket from the carry-on and wrapped it around June before June could protest. "Get some sleep, I'll wake you up at ten."

"Wake me up before Emily," June murmured, already drifting off. "I don't want her to know I fell asleep on the job." June then curled her arms and legs against her body and rested her head on Cora's lap.

Cora almost laughed out loud, but realized June and Emily were already asleep and didn't want to wake them.

Cora ran her hand through June's hair while thinking to herself, for lack of a better activity. June and Cora had always been like this – close as sisters but without the fighting. Two peas in a pod, their kindergarten teacher had once said. Cora chuckled at this statement, knowing that pea pods often had more than two peas in them, so the statement wasn't totally true – for June and Cora, there had never been anyone else. June was Cora's only friend and, while Cora was sure June could make a million friends if she only left the house more often, Cora was June's only friend, too.

They had been like that, inseparable and exclusive, ever since they met. Cora would never forget the day – it was the first day of kindergarten and June had strode in like she owned the place in a miniature (and G rated) version of one of her crazy outfits. Even at five years old, she was still ridiculously pale and ridiculously pretty, and young Cora had thought she would surely become popular. However, even back then Cora was a nerdy bookworm who didn't know much about fashion, and thus didn't realize that everyone would make fun of the clothes June was wearing – even though Cora saw nothing objectionable in them.

Of course, the term 'scalpel-slut' was the first thing that came to everyone's mind, and even though June's mother was a well-known local Gentern, everyone figured she must've been a scalpel-slut who June learned from. Even back then, Cora was horrified that kids were using the term 'slut' lightly.

Of course, after standing down an army of laughing toddlers, June's confidence had deflated. One kid in particular, a little boy who Cora no longer knew because he was very likely dead, really threw the insults in June's face, enough to make the young girl cry. It was then that Cora felt a strange surge of confidence and rage, unlike anything she had ever felt before. Cora had always been the most quite, chaste, and demure of all the students (and most of Crucifixus), but at that moment her meek nature melted away. Cora had walked right up to the bully and screamed at him, asking him how he'd feel in June's place. After shoving him over and making him cry, he learned exactly how he'd feel in June's place, because then all the class was laughing at _him_.

Cora had then pulled June aside.

 _"_ _Are you okay?" asked Cora._

 _"_ _I'm fine," said June, with a faint chuckle. "You were really brave back there."_

 _Cora chuckled, too. "I don't even know where that came from. I'm usually really shy, it's why I don't have any friends."_ Cora had slapped her hands over her mouth, not knowing why she felt so at ease with this girl or why she was suddenly telling her private information.

 _"_ _Well," June started, and linked arms with Cora. "Now you're my best friend, and my only friend, too. People think I dress weird, but Mommy thinks I should be myself. So I dress this way anyway." June thrust her hand out for Cora to shake. "I'm June!"_

 _"_ _I'm Cora," said Cora, beaming from ear-to-ear because she'd finally found a friend._

Ever since that day, June and Cora came to each other about anything and everything, shared all their secrets, and was rarely seen without the other. They were neighbors, so they often even slept together. June would usually come over to Cora's house early in the morning on the days when she didn't sleep over to escape her parents fighting, eat breakfast there, and the two would go to school together. Then they'd return home, do their homework together, and usually eat dinner together. The only days when they didn't eat together was when Cora had 'family day' with her parents. There was never family day at June's house, only 'mommy and me' days or 'fight until someone starts to cry (usually June)' days, so it was difficult for Cora to explain why June couldn't come over. That was the only thing June wasn't open about until Cora moved in – her father.

It was because of this closeness that, at age eleven, Cora came out to June as a lesbian. There had been tears in her eyes when she spoke, but June had only grabbed her hand and gave her a little smile, saying the two most surprising words in Cora's world. _"I know_."

Cora had then thrown herself into June's arms sobbing, overjoyed that June understood, but terrified of telling her parents. Although Cora's parents loved her more than anything else in the world, they were also known for being absurdly pious. And although Cora did not share their religious zest, it had contributed to much of her personality, making her gentle and coy. For this reason, Cora wasn't surprised that June accepted her, not just because they were best friends, but also because with June's playfully flirtatious and even sometimes venereal nature, it was clear June had never cracked open a bible in her life. (Although Cora loved June's brashness, she was glad a decent amount of that side of June's personality had died down when Emily was born.)

Ultimately it had been June who convinced Cora to come out to her parents, and it was June who stood by her side in support through the whole ordeal. Cora was extremely lucky – although her parents were shocked and confused at first, they ultimately accepted her because she was their daughter, and although they'd never asked for a gay kid, they hadn't exactly though to pray to God for a straight one, either.

In stark contrast, when June came out to her parents as bisexual, although her mother had accepted her immediately, her father had thrown a beer bottle at her and screamed as though she'd just told him she'd joined a satanic cult. He wasn't religious either, Cora to this day suspected he'd just wanted an excuse to throw something at June. June later told Cora that she'd thought about joining a cult just to see how he'd react to _that_ , but ultimately turned down the idea when Cora said she'd pack her a lunch to take to the cult every day, because that would absolutely ruin her 'street cred', now wouldn't it?

It's also worth mentioning that Cora and June, on that day, agreed they would never be more than friends because they didn't want to mess up their friendship. So they stayed like sisters, closer than close.

Cora was snapped out of her thoughts when a voice blared over the loudspeakers. "Next stop, Sanitarium!"

 _Strange, they never announced all the other locations we passed…_ thought Cora.

Cora pushed aside her thoughts, however, and woke June with a tiny peck on the forehead. "Huh?" murmured June.

"Wake up," whispered Cora. "We're almost there. We're almost at Sanitarium."

 **Well folks, this chapter was much longer than chapter one. Oh well, that's how most stories are, I guess. Chapter one is just exposition and all that jazz. Well, I really like how this chapter turned out! I feel like there was a lot of fluff and comedy, and thank you to Jenny for asking me to expand on June and Cora's backstory! I feel like it made the characters a lot more personal for me. So everyone, don't be afraid to make requests, your requests make the story better! Now you all get a look at their home lives and how life was before all the depressing things hit. Seriously though, I expanded on their stories way more than I thought I would, but that makes me really happy! I hope you all enjoyed it too. Let's be real, though, picturing little June and Cora in kindergarten is almost as cute as little Captain Maggots using Chi energy to dry her hands (shout out to anyone who gets what I'm referencing). Well, bye for now! The next chapter is pretty filler, but I promise chapter four will be awesome!**


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